The Wake Up Eager Workforce Podcast Podcast By Suzie Price The Wake Up Eager Workforce Podcast cover art

The Wake Up Eager Workforce Podcast

The Wake Up Eager Workforce Podcast

By: Suzie Price The Wake Up Eager Workforce Podcast
Listen for free

Inspiration, insider tips, and best practices to build energy, commitment, and communication in organizations. #wuePriceless Professional 2023 Economics Management Management & Leadership Personal Development Personal Success
Episodes
  • 2026 Tip #1 : Age Younger, Lead Stronger: Science-backed insights for leaders who want to sustain energy, vitality, and high performance.

    2026 Tip #1 : Age Younger, Lead Stronger: Science-backed insights for leaders who want to sustain energy, vitality, and high performance.
    Mar 19 2026

    In this episode, Dr. Nicole Williams shares four simple health resets designed to improve performance, focus, and overall energy while preventing burnout.

    She explains how techniques like nervous system regulation, eating a protein-rich breakfast, taking scheduled breaks, and staying hydrated can help high performers optimize their physical and mental resilience. These resets are not extreme but practical habits that support sustained energy and productivity throughout the day.

    By implementing these strategies, leaders can avoid burnout, increase their focus, and sustain long-term success without sacrificing their health.

    Key Takeaways from 2026 Tip #1 ---

    • Nervous system regulation enhances performance :

    By managing stress through deep breathing and relaxation techniques, high performers can maintain mental clarity, reduce anxiety, and improve focus.

    • A protein-rich breakfast fuels energy and focus :

    Starting the day with protein helps stabilize blood sugar, boost energy, and sustain focus, which is essential for optimal performance throughout the day.

    • Hydration and breaks prevent burnout :

    Staying hydrated and taking scheduled breaks allow the body and mind to recharge, preventing fatigue and maintaining high levels of energy and productivity.

    Episode Transcript:

    [00:01:00] Dr. Nicole Williams : "This quick reset shifts you to stress mode and back into clear thinking. Number two is the protein and produce power start to your day within the first hour of waking up, anchor your breakfast with protein plus fiber."

    [00:02:00] Dr. Nicole Williams : "Take five-minute reboot blocks between your meetings where you can stand up, walk around, grab a glass of water, and even better get a little bit of light in your eyes."

    [00:03:00] Dr. Nicole Williams : "These strategies are simple. By design, they're powerful because they work with your body and your schedule. You don't need a full lifestyle overhaul to feel better."
    Show more Show less
    4 mins
  • Stop Workplace Combat: Turn Conflict Into Collaboration With Aggressive Listening

    Stop Workplace Combat: Turn Conflict Into Collaboration With Aggressive Listening
    Mar 19 2026

    In this episode of the Wake Up Eager Workforce Podcast, Suzie Price tackles the challenge of workplace conflict and how it can be transformed into collaboration through aggressive listening.

    She explains how aggressive listening — a powerful tool that goes beyond hearing words to truly understanding the emotions and intentions behind them — can be the key to resolving conflict and building stronger, more cohesive teams. Suzie dives into practical strategies that leaders can use to shift the dynamic from combat to collaboration, reducing stress and fostering a more productive, positive work environment.

    By shifting from a defensive mindset to one of curiosity and understanding, you can turn challenging situations into opportunities for growth, connection, and better teamwork.

    Key Takeaways from Mini-Episode #13 ---

    • Conflict is normal — combat is a choice.

    Conflict simply means priorities are colliding, but workplace "combat" happens when people try to win instead of understand. Leaders who reframe conflict as a diagnostic tool can use it to uncover misalignment and strengthen collaboration.

    • Preparation prevents emotional escalation

    Before difficult conversations, the PREP framework helps leaders stay grounded:

    P – Plan the conversation

    R – Review the three root causes of conflict

    E – Emotion check (HALT: Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired)

    P – Perfect aggressive listening

    • Aggressive listening lowers defenses and unlocks solutions

    Aggressive listening isn't hostile—it means relentlessly seeking to understand the other person. Using the RPSA sequence (Reflect, Probe, Support, Advise) helps people feel heard first, which dramatically increases the likelihood that solutions will be accepted.

    Episode Transcript:

    [00:01:36] : "Conflict is inevitable, but combat is optional."

    [00:04:26] : "Listening aggressively means you are focused on hearing the other person in a determined, deeply energetic way—with zero agenda other than understanding."

    [00:07:41] : "If you try to solve the problem before the person feels heard, the solution will be rejected no matter how logical it is."

    [00:11:36] : "When a person's motivators don't align with their role, even the most capable employees will eventually disengage."

    [00:17:26] : "There was never a time when I would not have chosen some settlement by reason rather than the sword."
    Show more Show less
    19 mins
  • How to Reduce Bad Hires: The SPARK™ Framework for Hiring, Onboarding & Coaching

    How to Reduce Bad Hires: The SPARK™ Framework for Hiring, Onboarding & Coaching
    Mar 9 2026
    Episode Preview: In this episode of the Wake Up Eager Workforce Podcast, host Suzie Price explores one of the most expensive and frustrating challenges leaders face: bad hires. Rather than blaming poor performance on skills or experience, Suzie explains why most hiring failures come down to one overlooked factor — fit. Suzie introduces the Spark Framework for Hiring, Onboarding, and Coaching, a refined approach built from over two decades of leadership consulting and thousands of Trimetrix assessments. She explains how defining Superior Performance Attributes before interviews begin helps leaders identify the behaviors, motivators, and decision-making patterns truly required for success in a role. Throughout the episode, Suzie breaks down why traditional interviews often fail. Leaders tend to rely on chemistry, intuition, or résumé strength, which can unintentionally introduce bias and lead to costly hiring mistakes. Spark Job Kits provide a structured alternative by giving leaders clear role benchmarks, competency-based interview questions, and objective ways to compare candidates. But the framework doesn't stop at hiring. Suzie explains how the same tools become a leadership roadmap for onboarding, coaching, and long-term development, helping leaders guide employees toward stronger performance while reducing unnecessary friction and turnover. Suzie also highlights the real cost of getting hiring wrong — which can reach one and a half to eight times a person's salary when factoring in lost productivity, team disruption, and leadership time. With clearer expectations and better alignment, leaders can protect their culture, strengthen their teams, and make hiring decisions with confidence. If you want to reduce hiring risk, build stronger teams, and create a workplace where people wake up eager to contribute every day, this episode will give you practical insights to start defining success before you hire. Read the transcript for Episode 145 below and discover how the Spark Framework and Trimetrix assessments can help leaders hire with clarity, coach with intention, and build teams that truly fit the work they're meant to do. Top Takeaways of Episode #145 --- Most Hiring Failures Are Preventable 89% of bad hires fail because of fit — not skill — and when leaders clearly define role-aligned attributes before interviewing, they dramatically reduce misalignment, bias, and preventable turnover. Structure Reduces Risk Using competency-based, role-aligned interview questions and objective debrief tools shifts hiring from instinct-driven to intentional — reducing the financial risk of turnover that can cost 1.5 to 8 times a person's salary. Hiring Is the Beginning — Not the End When the same defined attributes are used for onboarding and coaching, leaders create consistency, accountability, and growth — building high-commitment, low-drama teams across the entire employee lifecycle. Hiring mistakes rarely happen because someone lacks skill — they happen because the role was never clearly defined in the first place. In this episode of the Wake Up Eager Workforce Podcast, Suzie Price introduces the Spark Framework for Hiring, Onboarding, and Coaching, a practical system designed to help leaders reduce bad hires by defining success before the interview process even begins. Suzie explains why 89% of bad hires fail due to poor fit rather than lack of ability, and how tools like Spark Job Kits and Trimetrix assessments help leaders identify the behavioral patterns, motivators, and personal attributes required for success in a role. Instead of relying on intuition, chemistry, or résumé strength alone, leaders can use structured interview questions and clear role benchmarks to make confident hiring decisions. The conversation also explores how these same frameworks extend beyond hiring into onboarding, coaching, and long-term performance development, giving leaders a practical roadmap to strengthen teams, reduce turnover, and create a more aligned workplace culture. This episode is a practical guide for leaders who want to hire with clarity, coach with intention, and build teams that wake up eager to contribute every day. In this episode: [00:01:07] Suzie Price: "Most bad hires don't fail because of skill. They fail because of fit. When the role's attributes aren't clearly defined, alignment is never established and friction begins." [00:02:40] Suzie Price: "A résumé can look perfect and an interview can feel strong, but if motivational drives, personal skills, and behavioral energy don't match the role, friction will show up." [00:07:32] Suzie Price: "The core principle is defining success before you hire, not after. When success is clear, hiring shifts from emotional and undefined to intentional and aligned." [00:12:27] Suzie Price: "The cost of a bad hire can range from one and a half to eight times a person's salary, which is why clarity in hiring decisions matters so ...
    Show more Show less
    24 mins
No reviews yet